Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs

The Sacramento Mountains are an oasis of cool pine forests, alpine meadows, and fast-flowing streams. For more than a century, the area has been a summer haven for people living in the surrounding desert. The town of Ruidoso�a Spanish word meaning �noisy��is named for the sound of water rushing over rocks as the Rio Ruidoso runs (and occasionally rampages) through the town. The town�s first resident, Civil War veteran Paul Dowlin, built an adobe mill that harnessed the river�s power. Word of the area�s beauty soon spread. Traveling over primitive roads, first by horse and wagon and later by automobile, visitors escaped the summer heat in what became known as �The Playground of the Southwest.� Some came for horse racing or the gambling and night life offered by the town�s many bars; others came to hike, fish, and later ski on the slopes of Sierra Blanca, the mountain whose 12,000-foot peak provides a stunning backdrop for the town.